Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing

The Image of Taiwan as a Travel Destination: Perspectives from Mainland China

Author Song, H, Hsu, CHC

Published 2013

Journal Title Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing

DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2013.774919

Copyright Statement © 2013 Taylor & Francis. This is the author-manuscript version of this paper. Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. Please refer to the journal website for access to the definitive, published version.

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Griffith Research Online https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au Please cite this paper as:

Song, H., & Hsu, C. H. C. (2013). The image of Taiwan as a travel destination: Perspectives from Mainland China. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 30(3), 253-271.

The image of Taiwan as a travel destination: Perspectives from Mainland China

Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing

Hanqun Song

Ph.D. Student Department of Tourism, Leisure, Hotel and Sport Management Griffith Business School Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, Queensland 4214, Australia Email: [email protected]

and

Cathy H.C. Hsu, Ph.D.

Professor and Associate Dean (Academic Affairs) School of Hotel and Tourism Management The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 17 Science Museum Road, TST East, Kowloon, Hong Kong Telephone: 852-3400-2323 Fax: 852-2362-9362 E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

This study presents the perceived and projected image of Taiwan as a travel destination from perspectives from Mainland China. The perceived image of Taiwan was examined by interviewing 28 Mainland Chinese; the projected image of Taiwan was investigated by analyzing articles in China’s most popular travel magazines. The different types of image of Taiwan among visitors, non-visitors, and travel magazines were compared. The projected image changed notably after the opening of Taiwan’s tourism to travelers from Mainland China. The results of this study could help destination marketing organizations to assess their marketing strategies for Mainland Chinese travel market.

Keywords: destination image, perceived image, projected image, Chinese traveler, travel magazine, Taiwan, Mainland China

INTRODUCTION

Taiwan became a new outbound destination for Mainland travelers in 2008, after 60 years of travel restrictions resulting from a long-standing history of tension between the two regions. In 1949, with the Chinese Civil War turning decisively in the Communists’ (CPC) favor, the Republic of China government led by the Kuomintang (KMT) retreated to Taipei, Taiwan, while the CPC proclaimed the People’s Republic of China government in Beijing. Since then, the relations between Mainland China and Taiwan have been characterized by limited contact, tension, and instability(C. K. Chen, 2009; Sheng, 2002). In 2008, Mainland China and Taiwan held a series of political and economic dialogues. These meetings led to “Three Direct Links” (marine transportation, air transportation, and postal communication) between Mainland China and Taiwan going into effect in December 2008 (China Tourism Academy, 2010). Starting on July 18, 2008, Mainland Chinese package tourists could directly go to Taiwan. In addition, the launching of regular cross-strait flights and an increase of direct flights to Chinese cities made it easier for Mainland residents to visit Taiwan (China Tourism Academy, 2010). The relaxation of restrictions on travel between Taiwan and Mainland China would promote bilateral travel and have a beneficial effect on Taiwan’s tourism industry (Guo, Zang, Zhang, & Ji, 2009).

The number of Mainland Chinese visitors to Taiwan has experienced a sharp increase due to the “Three Direct Links” (Table 1). Mainland China has become the top tourist-generating market for Taiwan, with 1.63 million visitors in 2010 and 1.76 million in 2011 (Taiwan Tourism Bureau, 2012). Most of the Mainland Chinese travelers are package tourists, but from the end of June, 2011, Mainland travelers from Beijing, Shanghai, and Xiamen were allowed to visit Taiwan on their own (CNTV, 2011). In 2012, eight more cities adopted Free Independent Traveler (FIT) programs: Tianjin, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, and Jinan (Taipei Times, 2012). Mainland Chinese travelers have brought economic benefits to Taiwan since the Chinese central government started permitting limited cross-strait travel to Taiwan in 2008. In 2010, visitors from Mainland China contributed NTD 65 billion (USD 2.2 billion) to Taiwan, raising Taiwan’s GDP by 0.28%, according to the Taiwan Directorate-General of Budget, Statistics, and Accounting (Mr China, 2011). It is estimated that a growing number of Mainland travelers will visit Taiwan in the future. Therefore, a close examination of the Mainland Chinese market is extremely important.

(Table 1 here)

Destination image has been studied extensively in the topics such as the definition, structure, formation, change, measurement, and management (Lai, 2010). Perceived image and projected image, the major streams in image studies, have been individually examined, but very few studies have investigated the differences between them (Andreu, Bigné, & Cooper, 2001; Grosspietsch, 2006). An investigation of both perceived and projected images could provide a complete picture of a destination to its marketers. Understanding the differences between these two images could help destination marketing organizations (DMOs) to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their destinations, and then provide critical insights into tourism marketing efforts (J. S. Chen, 2001; Hsu & Song, 2012). For the new or newly available destinations, an examination of perceived and projected images from major tourist- generating markets is crucial.

As Mainland Chinese travelers will play a significant role in Taiwan’s future tourism development, it is important to examine the destination image of Taiwan from perspectives of Mainland China, and to offer suggestions to Taiwan’s tourism marketers. The objectives of this study are therefore: 1) to examine the destination image of Taiwan as perceived by Mainland Chinese and as conveyed by popular Chinese travel magazines; 2) to compare the destination image of Taiwan among Chinese visitors, non-visitors, and travel magazines; and 3) to contrast the projected images of Taiwan before and after Taiwan’s opening up to the Mainland Chinese market.

LITERATURE REVIEW Destination image

There are almost as many definitions of destination image as there are scholars devoted to its conceptualization (Gallarza, Saura, & Garcia, 2002), but destination image generally refers to “a totality of impressions, beliefs, ideals, expectations and feelings accumulated towards a place over time” (Kim & Richardson, 2003). Destination image plays a fundamental role in the success of travel destinations in that the image influences the pre-visitation choice process (Gartner, 1993), and post-visitation behaviors such as tourist satisfaction, repeat purchase

4 intention, and word-of-mouth communication (Chon, 1990; Echtner & Ritchie, 1993). The strategic role of destination image in tourism marketing has engendered substantial research since the early 1970s (Gallarza et al., 2002; Pike, 2002). Since then, continuous efforts have been devoted towards deriving a comprehensive conceptual framework of this construct. But unfortunately, this area of study has been criticized for its un-theoretical nature (Echtner & Ritchie, 1993; Gartner, 1993) and up until now, not even a conceptual framework of the construct has been unanimously recognized.

Destination image attributes can be analyzed in terms of the categories of cognitive and affective (Crompton, 1979), holistic and attributive, functional and psychological, and common and unique (Echtner & Ritchie, 1993). The cognitive and affective images are the most popular of these categorizations (Baloglu & Brinberg, 1997; Baloglu & Mangaloglu, 2001; Baloglu & McCleary, 1999a, 1999b; Beerli & Martín, 2004a, 2004b; Kastenholz, 2010; M. Li, Cai, Lehto, & Huang, 2010; Sönmez & Sirakaya, 2002; Wang & Hsu, 2010). Cognitive image refers to one’s beliefs or knowledge of the characteristics or attributes of a destination (Boo & Busser, 2006; Pike & Ryan, 2004); affective image refers to one’s feelings toward a destination (Baloglu & McCleary, 1999a; Krider, Arguello, Campbell, & Mora, 2010). The cognitive component is an antecedent of the affective (Beerli & Martín, 2004b; Sönmez & Sirakaya, 2002). Many studies have measured destination image by combining cognitive and affective images; the most common attributes used in destination image studies are activities, landscape, nature, cultural attractions, nightlife and entertainment, shopping facilities, information available, sport facilities, transportation, accommodation, gastronomy, price, climate, relaxation, accessibility, safety, social interaction, resident’s receptiveness, originality, and service quality (Gallarza et al., 2002).

Due to the lack of a commonly accepted, valid, and reliable scale for the measurement of image, Echtner and Ritchie (1993) incorporated an extensive list of attributes into an image measurement instrument. Since then, most image studies have used different cognitive image measurements (Baloglu & McCleary, 1999a, 1999b; M. Li et al., 2010). The measurement of affective image attributes, however, is somewhat better developed. Four pairs of affective image measurement – Arousing-Sleepy, Pleasant-Unpleasant, Exciting-Gloomy, and Relaxing-Distressing – are commonly accepted (Ekinci & Hosany, 2006; X. Li, Pan, Zhang, & Smith, 2009; C. H. Lin, Morais, Kerstetter, & Hou, 2007). Beerli and Martín (2004a, 2004b) proposed a framework of destination image attributes, and classified these attributes

5 into nine categories. Several studies have used these image categories and attributes to measure travelers’ perceived image or the media’s projected image of a destination (Hsu & Song, 2012; S. Pan, Tsai, & Lee, 2011; Phau, Shanka, & Dhayan, 2010; Phillips & Jang, 2010).

The majority of tourism image studies use quantitative methods, such as a questionnaire survey, to capture destination image. However, qualitative approaches should also be used in image studies, as focus groups or open-ended questions could capture more in-depth information about the concept (Echtner & Ritchie, 1991; Grosspietsch, 2006). Until now, not many studies have used qualitative approaches to examine destination image (Huang & Gross, 2010; Hughes & Allen, 2008; B. Pan & Li, 2011). A few studies have used open-ended questions to examine the cognitive and affective images of destinations (Grosspietsch, 2006), while others have explored affective image attributes using a qualitative method. For instance, Pan and Li (2011) analyzed China’s destination image in the U.S. and identified some new affective image items, such as Happy, Busy, Interesting, Funny, Boring, and Different. Huang and Gross (2010) examined Mainland Chinese travelers’ image of Australia and found some new affective image attributes, such as Anticipating, Happy, Liking, and Curious. Kneesel, Baloglu, and Millar (2010) evaluated the image of gambling destinations in the U.S. and revealed some new affective image attributes, such as Fun, Great, Scary, and Boring. Only a few recent destination image studies that used a qualitative method could be found, and they all generated additional insights into the affective image of the destination; therefore, additional studies using qualitative methods could contribute to the understanding of destination image from both academic and practical perspectives.

Visitors vs. non-visitors

Researchers have found that visitors have more positive and favorable images of a destination than non-visitors (Awaritefe, 2004; Fakeye & Crompton, 1991; Hughes & Allen, 2008; Leisen, 2001; Milman & Pizam, 1995). Visitors score significantly higher than non-visitors on image attributes, such as social opportunities and attractions; infrastructure, food, and friendly people; and bars and evening entertainment, because contacts with residents and the use of the destination’s facilities could help visitors create a more complex and differentiated image (Fakeye & Crompton, 1991). After examining visitors’ and non-visitors’ images of

Central and Eastern Europe, Hughes and Allen (2008) found that visitors had more knowledge about the destinations than non-visitors. Huang and Gross (2010) examined the destination image of Australia that Mainland Chinese had, and found no significant differences between visitors and non-visitors with regard to cognitive and affective image features. However, past visitors held more multi-sensory image clues than their non-visitor counterparts, based on previous visit experiences. Visitors and non-visitors use different sources of information to formulate their destination images. For instance, non-visitors base their perceptions on secondary information such as brochures, movies, word of mouth, and other media; visitors also incorporate direct impressions gathered from experiences at the destinations (Baloglu & McCleary, 1999b).

Projected image

Destination image has been examined mainly from the travelers’ perspective. Their perceived image is their perception of particular destinations; projected image is the image portrayed by the media, tourism offices, tour operators, and travel agencies (Kotler, Bowen, & Makens, 1999). There are eight types of image information sources: overt induced I, overt induced II, covert induced I, covert induced II, autonomous, unsolicited organic, solicited organic, and organic agent, based on the degree of control by destination promoters, market penetration, and source credibility to information receivers (Gartner, 1993). Previous research has shown that different sources of information can project images in different ways (Akama & Kieti, 2003). Projected images have been examined in information sources such as tourism brochures (Hunter, 2012), tour operators (Grosspietsch, 2006), television travel shows (Hanefors & Mossberg, 2002; S. Pan et al., 2011), and travel magazines (Hsu & Song, 2012). In addition, studies have shown that projected images by travel brochures and tour operators are different from travelers’ perceived images (Andreu et al., 2001; Grosspietsch, 2006). In general, travelers’ perceived images are more positive than the projected images of promotional documents (Grosspietsch, 2006).

METHODOLOGY

This study used qualitative methods, in-depth interviews, and content analysis to explore the destination image of Taiwan from perspectives from Mainland China. Destination image,

7 which is a complex and dynamic concept, is highly influenced by the respondents’ characteristics. Therefore, questionnaire surveys do not catch all of the complex and dynamic features because the current statistical model is essentially static (Ryan & Cave, 2005). In addition, using qualitative methods can lead to a deeper understanding and a holistic view of the destination (Hughes & Allen, 2008). Qualitative approaches can be a first stage of investigation for gaining familiarity with the phenomenon being studied, and can predict the future directions of the research (Grbich, 2007). As there are very few studies on the destination image of Taiwan, this exploratory study should use qualitative methods. However, there are obvious challenges to analyzing and interpreting materials from semi-structured interviews and, inevitably, the outcome is more complex than that from a more structured questionnaire (Hughes & Allen, 2008).

This study first examined the projected image of Taiwan in travel magazines, and then analyzed the perceived image of Taiwan based on interviews. The projected image of Taiwan was examined by analyzing travel articles in Mainland China’s top six outbound travel magazines: National Geographic Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Traveler, Travelling Scope, Voyage, and World Traveler. A total of 56 travel articles on Taiwan, from 2006 to 2009, were subjected to content analysis. (Details of these articles can be found in Appendix A.) First, the text of all articles was scanned and transferred to Word format using SQL software. Then, the text was analyzed using NVivo 8. Individual Chinese characters were identified with the assistance of the word query function, and a list of the most popular words and expressions was derived by reviewing the original textual data. The words and expressions were regarded as image attributes in this study. Third, all image attributes were coded using the image categorization developed by Beerli and Martín (2004a, 2004b). The final image categories were Leisure and recreation; Culture, history, and art; Culinary culture; Political and economic factors; Natural resources; General infrastructure; Tourist infrastructure; Physical environment; Social environment; and Atmosphere. This study added an image category, Culinary culture, because food and cuisine play a significant role in Taiwanese culture. All data analysis was based on the Chinese texts. A research assistant fluent in Chinese and English coded the image attributes into the 10 image categories. During the data-coding process, the research assistant and a senior researcher had three discussions to ensure the credibility of the data coding. The image attributes were translated from Chinese to English by the research assistant. In order to ensure the translation equivalence of the data analysis, two professional English editors re-checked and revised the final English terms.

The perceived image of Taiwan was examined through in-depth interviews. The interviewees were selected on the basis of snowball sampling. Altogether 28 participants were interviewed, either by telephone or face-to-face, from September to December 2010. Twelve of the interviewees were contacted directly by one of the authors, and the rest were contacted through recommendations from the first round of interviewees. Fourteen visitors and 14 non- visitors to Taiwan between 19 and 56 years of age were interviewed. All participants came from the municipalities of Beijing and Shanghai or the provinces of Guangdong and Jiangsu. Residents in these areas have high earning capacities, and thus a great potential to visit overseas destinations. Twenty-one participants were interviewed by telephone, and 7 were interviewed face-to-face. Both types of interview were frequently implemented by previous qualitative studies (Mahoney, 1997). To ensure the credibility of these two interview modes, the same researcher conducted all 28 interviews. In addition, all interviews involved similar greetings, introductions, and questions; though some of the follow-up questions were different. Therefore, the process ensured credibility of face-to-face and telephone interviews.

The interview questions were based on studies by Choi, Chan, and Wu (1999); Huang and Gross (2010); Grosspietsch (2006); and Pan and Li (2010). The cognitive image questions for both visitors and non-visitors included: What images, pictures, or characteristics come to your mind when you think of Taiwan? Why? What else do you know about Taiwan as a travel destination? Can you list any distinctive or unique things that you can think of about Taiwan? What makes you have this specific type of image? Please make your answers as detailed as possible. Please share your story with me. The affective image questions for visitors (non- visitors) included: How would you describe your feelings, moods, or emotions about your visit to Taiwan (that you would have while visiting Taiwan)? Why? What other feelings do you have about Taiwan? Please describe the atmosphere and mood that you have experienced (expect to have) in Taiwan. What makes you have this specific type of image? Please make your answers as detailed as possible. Please share your story with me. During the interviews, many follow-up questions were asked to gain a deeper understanding of the interviewees’ perceptions of Taiwan as a travel destination.

Each interview lasted for about 20-30 minutes. The similar duration of interviews has been accepted by previous studies (Homburg, Workman, & Jensen, 2000; McColl-Kennedy & White, 1997). In addition to duration, one of the most important elements is the

9 comprehensiveness of interviews. In this study, all sub-topics and issues on the destination image of Taiwan were covered. The interviews were voice recorded and then transcribed. The data analysis of the Chinese transcripts made use of the results of travel magazine analysis as a guideline. To ensure the credibility of the data analysis, the researcher analyzed the Chinese transcripts three times, making revisions each time. The final results were translated into English and were re-checked and revised by two professional English editors.

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

Destination image of Taiwan

The analysis of interviews and travel magazines showed that both travelers and travel magazines in Mainland China concentrated more on the cognitive image of Taiwan – general knowledge and basic travel information, and less on its affective image – personal feelings and emotions. Based on Beerli and Martín’s (2004a) image categorization, this study classified the cognitive image of Taiwan as follows: Leisure and recreation; Culture, history, and art; Culinary culture; Political and economic factors; Natural resources; General infrastructure; Tourist infrastructure; and Physical environment. The affective image of Taiwan was grouped into two categories: Atmosphere and Social environment. Given the significant role of Culinary culture in Taiwan, this was separated out as an additional category. Both Mainland Chinese visitors and non-visitors reported cognitive images related to Leisure and recreation; Culture, history, and art; Culinary culture; Political and economic factors; and Natural resources, and affective images related to Atmosphere and Social environment. The travel magazines reported all eight cognitive image categories and one affective image category, Atmosphere.

Cognitive image of Taiwan

Table 2 shows the details of the cognitive images of Taiwan among Chinese visitors, non- visitors, and travel magazines. The most popular image categories mentioned by Mainland Chinese were Leisure and recreation; Culture, history, and art; Culinary culture; and Political and economic factors. The image categories that appeared most frequently in the travel magazines were Leisure and recreation; Culture, history, and art; and Culinary culture. Generally, travel magazines presented a detailed image of Taiwan in all eight cognitive image

10 categories, whereas the visitors and non-visitors only mentioned the image attributes in five cognitive image categories. The three image categories travelers never mentioned were General infrastructure, Tourist infrastructure, and Physical environment. The visitors had more knowledge about Taiwan than non-visitors; therefore, the visitors presented more specific information, including both well-known and lesser known attributes, whereas non- visitors only showed a general knowledge of Taiwan.

(Table 2 here)

Leisure and recreation was the most frequently mentioned image category by all sources. The majority of image attributes mentioned by the interviewees also appeared in travel magazines. The majority of the interviewees considered Sun Moon Lake and/or Alishan (National Scenic Area) as their first cognitive image(s) when they thought of Taiwan. Some of the interviewees said that these two attractions, being symbols of Taiwan, were must-see attractions. This is consistent with the findings of a previous study that respondents frequently mentioned these two unique attractions when they were asked to describe their impressions of Taiwan as a travel destination (Y. H. Lin, Chen, & Park, 2012). The popularity of these two attractions for Mainland Chinese may be attributed to an article introducing Sun Moon Lake and Alishan in Chinese primary school textbooks, and a popular folk song, Girls from Alishan, describing the people and scenery in Alishan. In the words of the interviewees:

“My daughter studied an article of Treasured Island: Taiwan in the third year of primary school, which introduced two attractions, Alishan and Sun Moon Lake.” (Ms. Yuan, non- visitor, 37, an assistant accountant, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province)

“When I was a child, I knew Sun Moon Lake and Alishan from the primary school Chinese textbook… I was impressed by the beautiful scenery of these two attractions.” (Mr. Song, non-visitor, 26, a postgraduate student, Shanghai)

In travel magazines, the most frequent attributes were place names, such as Taipei, Kaohsiung, Danshui, and Taitung, which may be because travel writers have to mention city names and attractions when they report anything about Taiwan. Visitors mentioned more attributes than non-visitors, which is consistent with Huang and Gross’s (2010) finding that past visitors seemed to hold more image clues than their non-visitor counterparts based on

11 previous visit experiences. It was interesting that visitors mentioned some image attributes that had not been covered in travel magazines, such as Chihu and Dasi Presidential Burial Place, Chu Lu Ranch, Ximending, and Chihkan Tower. Moreover, three visitors described a tourist attraction with a unique rock formation by the sea, but they did not remember its name, Yehliu Geopark. This could be a result of their usually packed group tour itineraries, and package travelers just browse the attraction without knowing much information about it.

Culture, history, and art was related to many aspects, for example, history, culture, religion, and entertainment. Mainland Chinese travelers associated Culture, history, and art with ethnic minorities and the entertainment industry; travel magazines emphasized history and culture. Non-visitors frequently mentioned the entertainment industry, referring to movies, TV dramas, folk songs, talk shows, and stars. However, visitors felt that Taiwan is a destination with abundant humanistic flatus. There are numerous night markets in Taiwan. In addition, Mainland China and Taiwan share the same language and the same race. Therefore, phases such as sharing the same language and the same race, humanistic flatus, and night market, were mentioned by visitors. Several visitors mentioned the preservation of the traditional culture, Confucianism, temples, and religion. The following statements support these observations:

“When I think about Taiwan, I have the Gaoshan Ethnic Minorities [aboriginals] and their unique and special costumes in my mind… I knew of the ethnic minorities from folk songs such as Girls from Alishan.” (Miss Zhang, non-visitor, 26, an assistant to the general manager at a five-star hotel, Beijing)

“Because Chiang Kai-shek had governed Taiwan in the past… The local folk customs and traditional cultures have been well preserved in Taiwan… I found traditional culture in many areas.” (Ms. Qian, visitor, 42, an accountant in a governmental department, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province)

Culinary culture refers to the image attributes of food, such as snacks (e.g., beef noodles, tan tzu mien, gong wan, and oyster omelet), drinks (e.g., pearl milk tea and coffee), and fruits (e.g., pineapples and betel nuts). Visitors, non-visitors, and travel magazines referred to many similar image attributes of Culinary culture. Snacks and food are regarded as an unique image of Taiwan (Y. H. Lin et al., 2012). Some interviewees even said that the cuisine and its

12 delicacies were what had brought them to Taiwan.

“I’ve always thought that Taiwan’s cuisine and food is delicious. I think tasting delicious food and visiting the night market are my major motivations to visit Taiwan.” (Ms. Sun, non- visitor, 39, a housewife in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province)

Political and economic factors were related to Taiwan’s political and economy system, and the cross-strait relationship between Mainland China and Taiwan. Generally, visitors, non- visitors, and travel magazines referred to different image attributes in this area. With regard to political issues, non-visitors mentioned some words (e.g., part of China, and not united) that were not mentioned by visitors and travel magazines. Some terms frequently mentioned by visitors were different political system, Kuomintang (KMT), democratic elections (presidential election), and president. Some non-visitors were curious about Taiwan’s political system, and they wished to see the democratic elections in Taiwan.

Visitors, non-visitors, and travel magazines had different opinions about Taiwan’s economy. Travel magazines had more positive opinions than visitors and non-visitors. Some non- visitors frequently mentioned terms such as prosperity, developed economy, Four Asian Tigers, business, modern, and high tech. However, many visitors were disappointed by Taiwan’s economic development, and found that Taiwan’s economy was not good as they thought. They described Taipei as a modern city, but other areas as a little backward. Phrases such as slow economic growth and not affluent were frequently mentioned by visitors to describe the Taiwanese economy. Some non-visitors were influenced by other reference groups who visited Taiwan, such as family members and friends, and who had told them that Taiwan was not a developed region. Some examples of the respondents’ opinions are as follows:

“Taiwan is part of China… But it has not returned to Mainland China… The special relationship between Mainland China and Taiwan increases my interest in visiting Taiwan in the future…” (Mr. Wei, non-visitor, 27, a governmental officer, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province)

“I know that Taiwan has a different political system … they use presidential elections. In the past, I thought that Taiwan’s political system was messy, because Taiwan has several parties … and the representatives always fight and quarrel in the parliament meetings … but

13 now, I know that they are trying to make Taiwan’s political situation better” (Mr. Song, non- visitor, 19, a college student, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province)

“I think about the flag of KMT when I first think of Taiwan… I was surprised and impressed by the democratic elections in Taiwan… This was my first time to see many huge posters of the politicians in the roads.” (Mr. Ding, visitor, 29, an internet manger of a company, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province)

“I knew that Chiang Ching-kuo was a talented person, and he governed Taiwan very well… I just wanted to know how Taiwan is being developed, and that’s the reason why I visited Taiwan in 2010.” (Ms. Tan, visitor, 52, a factory worker, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province)

“Before I visited Taiwan, I thought Taiwan was a very affluent place … but the fact was that Taiwan didn’t have so many tall buildings, and it was not rich… Taiwan is not better than Nanjing.” (Ms. Yan, visitor, 49, a housewife, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province)

Natural resources covers terms such as scenery, landscape, island, coast line, sea, beach, and climate. The interviewees mentioned more items in the Natural resources category than did the travel magazines. Non-visitors mentioned Taiwan’s beautiful natural scenery; however, visitors said that Taiwan’s landscape was not as good as the scenery in some parts of the Mainland. These findings are consistent with the findings of previous studies that Mainland Chinese travelers have both positive and negative images of Taiwan’s natural recourses. To these travelers, Taiwan was a beautiful island; however, some visitors thought that Taiwan’s natural resources were not unique (Y. H. Lin et al., 2012):

“After visiting Taiwan, I found Taiwan was not as beautiful as I had thought … I just had an ordinary travel experience in Taiwan… The scenery of Taiwan is not as good as Mainland China’s landscapes, such as Hainan, and Jiuzhaigou.” (Mr. Wang, visitor, 56, a governmental officer, Beijing)

Three cognitive image categories, General infrastructure, Tourist infrastructure, and Physical environment, appeared in travel magazines, but were not described by the interviewees. This was probably because of travel magazines’ role in introducing destination details or specific travel information.

Affective image of Taiwan

Table 3 summarizes the affective image of Taiwan that is expressed in the interviews and travel magazines. Visitors and non-visitors reported both Atmosphere and Social environment affective images, whereas magazines only reported the Atmosphere affective image. It seems that travel journalists cannot easily describe aspects concerning Social environment, which is related to the interaction between hosts and guests.

(Table 3 here)

In the Atmosphere category, the interviewees and travel magazines expressed only a few shared image attributes, such as mysterious, special, unique, local flavor, and novel. The most frequently mentioned affective attribute was mysterious, probably because of the tensional cross-strait political relationship between Mainland China and Taiwan. In the past, Mainland Chinese travelers could not easily visit Taiwan, which made people feel that Taiwan was a mysterious destination. Visitors were more likely to mention how they felt when in Taiwan, using words such as joyful, relaxed, and tired, whereas non-visitors frequently used terms referring to their own feelings about Taiwan, such as willingness to go, relaxed, happy, joyful, and estranged. The majority of interviewees expected a happy, relaxed, exciting, and joyful travel experience, but several visitors admitted feeling “a little bit tired” because they had been on the tour bus for a very long time. One interviewee mentioned that he joined a “Taiwan 8 days holiday package”, but in his mind, he spent at least three days on the tour bus. Sometimes, it took him 3-4 hours to get to a tourist attraction. Generally, some of the most frequently mentioned affective image attributes were similar with those mentioned in a study of Y. H. Lin, et al. (2012) whose interviewees described the atmosphere of Taiwan as being relaxing, exciting, and pleasant. In addition, it was interesting that one visitor mentioned that his feelings toward Taiwan had changed from estranged to familiar after his visit. In the travel magazines, all of the affective attributes for Atmosphere were expressed as positive adjectives, such as traditional, special, unique, fashionable, local color, mysterious, and novel. The most frequent affective image attribute mentioned in travel magazines was traditional. The following quotes support this point:

“I think Taiwan is a mysterious place, as direct air transportation has just been introduced and

15 only a small number of people have visited Taiwan…The most attractive aspect of Taiwan is its mystery.” (Miss Zhang, non-visitor, 26, an assistant to the general manager at a five-star hotel, Beijing)

“Taiwan used to be a special and unique destination for Mainland Chinese… In the past, one could not easily visit Taiwan even if he/she had a lot of money... It’s a mysterious place to me… If I couldn’t visit Taiwan during my life, it would be a great pity.” (Ms. Qian, visitor, 42, an accountant in a governmental department, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province)

“My feelings about Taiwan changed after my visit… Before visiting, I felt that it was a distant place… The distance is not only geographical, but also psychological … although there is only a strait between Mainland China and Taiwan… It seems that Taiwan is a different world with different situations… But when I got there, I realized it’s a place that is not at all strange as we speak the same language and people are nice.” (Mr. Ding, visitor, 29, an internet manager of a company, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province)

“I am a little bit worried about my visit to Taiwan next month, because it’s a new and different destination… Taiwan is just like a foreign country… There might be some surprises during the journey.” (Ms. Zhang, non-visitor, 53, a Chinese medicine doctor, Beijing).

The interviewees referred to the image category of Social environment; however, visitors and non-visitors had different perceptions of this category. Non-visitors focused more on phrases such as freedom of speech, freedom, and democracy. Based on their interactions with Taiwan residents and tourism practitioners, visitors referred regularly to Taiwan people’s hospitality, good citizenship behavior, and the professionalism of tourism practitioners (e.g., the high- service quality provided by tour guides and bus drivers). The following statements illustrate this:

“I know that Taiwan is a place with freedom of speech, but in Mainland China, we only have limited freedom of speech. I look forward to feeling the freedom in Taiwan” (Miss Hui, non- visitor, 26, a white clerk at an international trade company, Shanghai)

“In my mind, Taiwan is a place with cleanliness and hygiene … it is not crowded, as the population density is low… there are not so many people and cars on the roads.” (Ms. Sun,

16 non-visitor, 39, a housewife, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province)

“Our Taiwan tour guide is very hospitable and professional… Service in Taiwan is very good… The citizens are hospitable, sincere, and kind… If you can’t find your way, people will help you to find the place you want to go to.” (Mr. Ding, visitor, 29, an internet manger of a company, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province)

Projected image changes

The projected image of Taiwan in travel magazines was used to examine whether there is a significant difference before and after the opening up of Taiwan’s tourism to Mainland China. As shown in Table 4, the reporting focused on cognitive image attributes of Taiwan. The frequency of the reported image attributes increased significantly from 3,041 in 2006-2007 to 5,112 in 2008-2009, which influenced by the major events happening during the period. Cross-strait relations changed significantly in 2006-2009 due to a number of breakthroughs, such as the “Three Direct Links” and the opening up of Taiwan’s tourism to Mainland travelers. Taiwan, being a new outbound destination, received more editorial attention and positive media coverage.

(Table 4 here)

There were also several significant changes in terms of content coverage, including Culinary culture, General infrastructure, Political and economic factors, Physical environment, and Natural resources. The most significant increase in reporting was in the area of Political and economic factors, which reflected the series of cross-strait meetings and agreements reached following the KMT’s victory in Taiwan’s election in 2008.

Comparison between perceived and projected images

A comparison between perceived and projected images was made, based on the analysis of interviews and travel magazines, to suggest the practical implications for tourism marketers. As shown in Figure 1, if magazines reported some image categories more frequently than travelers, then the image components would be placed more towards the right hand side of the chart. If Chinese travelers mentioned some image components more frequently than

17 magazines, then the image component would be placed more towards the left side of the chart. Additionally, if some image categories were only reported in magazines or mentioned by travelers, then they were placed at the end of the left or right hand side of the chart. Previous studies also briefly categorized the image categories into two types: cognitive and affective images. However, image categories could be presented based on the level of cognitiveness and affectiveness of images. In Figure 1, if the component was the mostly cognitive, it would be placed on the top. If the component was mostly affective, it would be placed at the bottom of the chart.

(Figure 1 here)

As travelers mentioned Natural resources, Political and economic factors, and Atmosphere slightly more frequently than travel magazines, these categories were placed in the perceived image section, but close to the projected image section. In addition, travelers talked more about Leisure and recreation, Culture, history and art, and Culinary culture than magazines, therefore, these three categories were placed more on the left side of the chart. All of the above mentioned six image categories were found to be both perceived and projected, which shows congruency between what the magazines portrayed and what the interviewees perceived. Taiwan’s DMOs could reinforce these images among travelers to create and sustain tourism demand. However, the attributes of General infrastructure, Tourist infrastructure, and Physical environment were only found in magazines, indicating that these three image categories were only portrayed in the projected image, so these three components were placed to the end of the right side. The attributes of Social environment only was mentioned by travelers, which means that this image category only appeared in the perceived image section, therefore, it was plotted in the end of the left side. The reporting on General infrastructure, Tourist infrastructure, and Physical environment may be due to travel magazines’ role in presenting information about destinations. Travelers may see these as the “hygiene factor,” rather than as differentiating features of a destination. However, any deficiency in these areas would cause traveler dissatisfaction. S. Pan, et al. (2011) also indicated that General infrastructure, Tourist infrastructure, and Physical environment rarely appeared in travel media, indicating that few reports were found about projected image of these image categories. In this study, they only accounted for 14% of the editorial space analyzed. DMOs should continue to provide information to the media so the media can report positive image attributes in these areas to ease travelers’ minds.

In addition, image categories could be placed in the chart based on the level of congitiveness and affectiveness of images. Generally, Social environment and Atmosphere could be categorized into the affective image, and the remaining eight image categories could be grouped in the cognitive image (Hsu & Song, 2012). However, it is interesting that different image categories could be placed into different locations based on their levels of cognitiveness and affectiveness. For example, even Natural resources and Political and economic factors were in the cognitive image section. Some of the positive and negative quotations on these two image categories were based on interviewees’ and journalists’ feelings. Therefore, these two image categories were plotted closely to the affective image section. Also, different people had significantly different perceptions towards some categories. However, in this study, some image categories in travel magazines, such as General infrastructure, Tourist infrastructure, and Physical environment, were highly related to the fact and knowledge. Therefore, these three categories were placed on the top of the chart. In terms of the affective perspective, Atmosphere, mainly related to interviewee’s or journalist’s feelings about the destination or their travel experience, was plotted to the bottom of the chart. For Social environment, visitors’ feelings were influenced by the facts and previous experiences, such as social activities, and their interactions with tourism employees and locals. Therefore, Social environment, not a whole affective image, was also placed a little bit closed to the cognitive section.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This study examined the destination image of Taiwan by analyzing in-depth interviews with Mainland Chinese and travel articles in China’s top six travel magazines. The destination image of Taiwan found in this study focused more on cognitive image than on affective image. In-depth interviews generated five cognitive and two affective image categories. Travel magazines featured all eight cognitive and one affective image category. In addition, some image categories have a mismatch between visitors, non-visitors, and travel magazines.

The results revealed that destination images were framed differently by interviewees and travel magazines. Using Political and economic factors and Natural resources as examples, Mainland visitors mentioned both positive and negative images, whereas travel magazines focused mainly on positive images. Visitors mentioned that they had a very high expectation

19 of their visiting Taiwan, and they thought that it was a beautiful and affluent place; however, when they arrived there, they found Taiwan was not as developed as they had expected. Visitors also found that Taiwan’s scenery was less attractive as Mainland China had more diverse natural resources. They found that Taiwan was not a well-developed region, possibly because Mainland China has developed rapidly in the past three decades; however, Taiwan’s economic growth has slowed since the 1990s. Some visitors were disappointed, perhaps because of their inflated expectations of Taiwan, which could be a result of a combination of old textbook materials and decades of anticipation. Therefore, Taiwan’s DMOs may need to promote other aspects of the destination, apart from the outdated image of an island of economic miracles. The results of the interviews, particularly those with visitors, could provide some direction for the DMOs in identifying the type of destination image to project. Snack and food, friendly and civilized residents, freedom and democracy, and the preservation of traditional culture could be emphasized when communicating with potential travelers as well as the media. Congruency between media’s projected image and travelers’ perceived image could enhance travelers’ satisfaction with the experience.

The fact that visitors and non-visitors held different images of Taiwan can be explained by the argument of an earlier study that travelers’ images are modified after visiting a particular destination (Baloglu & McCleary, 1999b). Visitors commonly associate the detailed images of Taiwan with their visit experiences, whereas non-visitors mainly presented their destination image briefly and generally. Considering the differences of images among visitors, non-visitors, and travel magazines, DMOs could frame a multi-faced image of Taiwan to the Mainland Chinese market. It may be desirable to include both positive and negative components of the image in the promotional materials to keep visitors’ expectations realistic (Ryan & Cave, 2005).

As Taiwan has opened its doors to both the package and individual tourists from Mainland China, it is estimated that there will be a growing number of Mainland travelers in the future. As a new outbound destination for Mainland Chinese, Taiwan’s DMOs should provide comprehensive destination information (McCartney, Butler, & Bennett, 2008), as most Mainland Chinese are unfamiliar with Taiwan. It is understandable that at this early stage of tourism development, more cognitive images are projected in promotion materials, and more cognitive images are perceived by travelers. However, to attract repeat visitors, affective image attributes are important selling points in that emotion or feelings play a vital role in the

20 process of travel decision-making when potential visitors are familiar with the destination (Y. H. Lin et al., 2012). As the market matures and more Mainland tourists have visited Taiwan, the attractiveness of a repeat destination needs to be built on emotional connections. For example, Social environment, as an affective image category, could influence travelers’ destination selection and post-visit evaluation. It is important for Taiwan’s DMOs to emphasize attributes of Social environment in their promotional materials. Specifically, some unique affective image attributes, such as democracy, hospitable, and good citizenship behavior could be presented through marketing communication. Therefore, future communications from Taiwan’s DMOs should focus more on affective components of the destination to help visitors relive their travel experience and make them eager to return.

Although the FIT program has taken effect in some Mainland cities, the majority of Mainland visitors are still package tourists. Taiwan’s DMOs could design different types of travel itineraries and promotional materials for different market segments of Mainland Chinese visitors, who may hold different destination images. The frequent image attributes found in this study could be regarded as the attractiveness of Taiwan. As some image attributes such as food, cultural activities, entertainment industries, political elections, and democracy, have been emphasized frequently, Taiwan’s DMOs could segment the Mainland Chinese market into several groups, such as culinary tourists, entertainment industry fans, and political election spectators.

This study makes several important theoretical contributions to the literature. First, this study is one of only a few examining the image of Taiwan from Mainland Chinese perspectives. Given the important role of Mainland Chinese travelers in Taiwan, it is necessary to examine the image of Taiwan perceived by Mainland Chinese; however, until now, only a few studies have been conducted on the Mainland Chinese perceived image of Taiwan. Second, this study framed the projected image of Taiwan and examined the differences of images in the period before and after the opening up of Taiwan’s tourism to the Mainland market. An examination of the new tourism destination, Taiwan, could frame the relationship between the opening up of a new tourism destination and its coverage in the media. Third, the differences of image among visitors, non-visitors, and travel magazines contribute to the literature, as very few studies have examined this important issue.

The limitations of this study provide directions for future research. First of all, the small

21 sample size of this study does not permit generalization. Only 28 people were interviewed; therefore, in the future, interviews with more informants could be conducted to confirm the results of this study. Secondly, each interview was only about the destination image of Taiwan; in the future, more topics or questions could be used to explore more information about Mainland Chinese perceptions of Taiwan as a travel destination. Thirdly, this study analyzed only the projected image of Taiwan within one medium – travel magazines – therefore, other media should be analyzed in the future to provide important insights for DMOs.

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Table 1: Mainland Chinese travelers to Taiwan Year Origin market Arrivals Change from the previous size ranking year 2008 NA 329,204 NA 2009 2nd 972,123 195.30% 2010 1st 1,630,735 67.75% 2011 1st 1,755,529 9.41% Source: Taiwan Tourism Bureau. (2012).

Table 2: Cognitive image of visitors, non-visitors, and travel magazines Categories Visitors a Non-visitors Travel magazines b Leisure and Sun Moon Lake; Alishan; Sun Moon Lake; Alishan; Taipei; Hot spring; recreation Taipei 101; National Taipei 101; Hot Spring; Kaohsiung; Danshui; Sun Palace Museum; City; National Palace Museum; Moon Lake; Taitung; Small Taroko; Kenting National Taipei; Kaohsiung; town; Yangmingshan; Park; Taipei; Taroko; Hualien; Surfing; Kenting; Taichung; Lukang; Yangmingshan; Chihu and Shopping; Danshui River; Attraction; Beitou; Hualien; Dasi Presidential Burial Yangmingshan; Orchid island; Brand; Place; Chu Lu ranch; Ximending National Palace Museum; Small town; Ximending; Taipei 101; Jhiben; Taroko; Chihkan Tower; Shopping; Shop; Alishan; Kaohsiung Port Sport; Jinshan; Spa; Shopping mall Culture, Night market; Sharing the TV drama; Folk song; Talk Mainland China; Culture; history, and same language and the show; Specialty; Ethnic Temple; Night market; Art; art same race; TV drama; minority; Entertainment; Design; Song; Book store; Humanistic flatus; Betel nut beauty; Night Movie; Ethnic minority; Treasured island; Temple; market; Cosmetics; Worship; Japan; History; Ethnic minority; Religion; Former residence of Music; Mazu; War veterans Star; Cape No. 7; celebrity; Treasured island; village; Museum; Min Nan; Entertainment; Talk show; University; Sharing the Hakka; University; Fine arts Preserved culture; Music; same language and the museum; Chinese New Year; Japan; Traditional culture; same race; Mandarin; A- Tribe; Chinese; Singer; Folk song; Heritage; Show Mei; Kevin Tsai; Dee Hsu; National treasure; Teresa Luo; Confucianism; Jacky Wu; Leehom Wang; Teng; Hou Hsiao-Hsien; TV Mandarin; Teresa Teng; Meteor Garden; Here Drama; Entertainment; Cosmetic; Historical Comes KangXi; Guess, Religion; Primary school relations with Mainland Guess, Guess China; Book store Culinary Snack; Delicious food; Snack; Delicious food; Seafood; Tea; Delicious food; culture Fruit; Pineapple; Rice; Gong wan; Oolong tea; Snack; Coffee; Cuisine; Pineapple cake; Oden; Betel nut; Drink; Taiwan Candy; Fruit; Beef noodle; Beef noodle; Oyster style hot-dog; Pearl milk Tan Tzu Mien; Oyster omelet; omelet; Oolong tea; Tea tea; Fruit Rice noodle; Betel nut Political and Part of China; Different Prosperity; Part of China; Economy; Chiang Kai-shek; economic government; Business; Not united; Different Soldier; Kuomintang (KMT); factors Chiang Kai-shek; Modern; political system; Chiang Ching-kuo; President; Prosperity; Kuomintang Kuomintang (KMT); Four Chen Shui-bian; Democratic (KMT); Conflicts in Asian Tigers; Developed Progressive Party (DPP); different parties; economy; Not affluent Prosperity; Well-developed; Democratic elections; economy; Ma Ying-jeou; Business; Chiang’s family; Chiang Ching-kuo; Four High tech; Hsinchu Four Asian Tigers; Modern Asian Tigers; Developed Science Park; economy; Slow economic Semiconductor industry; growth; Not affluent Capital society economy Natural Beautiful scenery; Sea; Beautiful scenery; Island; Ocean; Peninsular; Island; resources Natural scenery; Beach; A lot of islands; Landscape Pacific ocean; Island; Subtropical climate;

Seaside Coastal line General NA NA Subway and railway; Boat; infrastructure New Taiwan Dollars; Railway station; RMB; Airport; EasyCard Tourist NA NA Hotel; Restaurant; Coffee bar; infrastructure Travel agency; Villa Physical NA NA Architecture environment Note: a: the words frequently mentioned by Mainland Chinese travelers are underlined; b: only the words with a frequency of more than 10 are listed.

Table 3: Affective image of visitors, non-visitors, and travel magazines Categories Visitors a Non-visitors Travel magazines b Atmosphere Mysterious; Joyful; Mysterious; Willingness to Traditional; Special; Relaxed; Tired; Far away; go; Joyful; Relaxed; Happy; Unique; Estranged; Unclear; Happy; Estranged; Curious; Novel; Fashionable; Local Familiar; Curious; Comfortable; A little bit Color; Mysterious; Interesting; Peaceful; worried; Surprised; Exciting Novelty Unique; Ordinary Social Hospitable; Kind; Freedom of speech; NA environment Professional; Good Freedom; Democracy; citizenship behavior; Hygiene; Not crowded; Low Sincere; Hygiene; population density; Local Optimistic; Civilized favor; Human liberty Note: a: the words frequently mentioned by Mainland Chinese travelers are underlined; b: only the words with a frequency of more than 10 are listed.

Table 4: Changes of projected image categories of Taiwan Before (2006- After (2008- Image categories x2 2007) 2009) Cognitive image Leisure and recreation 1,050a (35%)b 1,765 (35%) n.s. Culture, history, and art 837 (28%) 1,509 (30%) n.s. Culinary culture 464 (15%) 648 (13%) 10.793** General infrastructure 256 (8%) 285 (6%) 24.879** Tourist infrastructure 164 (5%) 293 (6%) n.s. Political and economic factors 43 (1%) 232 (5%) 57.107** Physical environment 33 (1%) 92 (2%) 6.448* Natural resources 56 (2%) 63 (1%) 4.918* Affective image Atmosphere 138 (5%) 225 (4%) n.s. Total 3,041 (100%) 5,112 (100%) Note: a: word frequency; b: percentage; n.s.: no significance; ** p<0.01; * p<0.05.

Figure 1: Comparison between perceived and projected image

General infrastructure Cognitive image Tourist infrastructure

Physical environment

Leisure and recreation

Culture, history and art

Culinary culture

Natural resources

Political and economic factors

Perceived image Projected image

Social environment

Atmosphere Affective image

Appendix A: Travel articles examined in this study

Article Title Travel Magazine Year No. 1 The vagueness of Taiwan tours: Date of first Traveler 2006 available trip not confirmed [“台湾游”雾里看花? 大陆居民赴台旅游放行日期仍需协商] 2 Night clubbing in Taipei [7 个情调触点：与帅哥 Traveler 2006 美女共 high 台北不眠夜] 3 Night markets in Taipei [台北：“杂拌糖”和夜市] Traveler 2007 4 Is Taiwan fun? [台湾好玩吗？] Traveler 2008 5 Taiwan’s return from Japan and “A City of Traveler 2009 Sadness” [台湾光复与悲情城市] 6 The history and modern story of Kaohsiung [高雄 Traveler 2009 的前尘往事与今生迷局] 7 Festivals and traditions in Taiwan [龙翘首，灯垂 Traveler 2009 檐，乡亲近] 8 A clear look at Southern Taiwan [南台湾有几重颜 Traveler 2009 色？] 9 The ferries wheel of happiness [幸福摩天轮] World Traveler 2006 10 Taiwan: An history museum of architecture [台湾 World Traveler 2008 是一座建筑历史博物馆] 11 Taiwanese snacks [台湾小吃] World Traveler 2008 12 Buddhism in Taiwan [满天神佛落宝岛] World Traveler 2008 13 On the way to Taiwan [台湾在路上] World Traveler 2008 14 Travel around the Taiwan island [在台湾岛上画一 World Traveler 2008 个圈] 15 Decorating Taiwan [装点宝岛] World Traveler 2008 16 Beitou hot springs: Enjoy the atmosphere [北投温 Travelling Scope 2006 泉：享受的是情调] 17 Fresh Northern Taiwan [清新北台湾] Travelling Scope 2006 18 Treasure hunt in Taiwan [到台湾寻宝] Travelling Scope 2006 19 Beautiful Central Taiwan [秀美中台湾] Travelling Scope 2006 20 Sun Moon Lake: A pearl of Taiwan [日月潭，台湾 Travelling Scope 2006 心中的碧绿明珠] 21 Penghu: Blue seas and clear breeze [澎湖，蔚蓝海 Travelling Scope 2006 洋风] 22 Fantastic Taroko [鬼斧神工太鲁阁] Travelling Scope 2006 23 Top ten reasons to love Taipei [爱上台北的十个理 Travelling Scope 2006 由] 24 Villa 32, Taipei [台北三二行馆] Travelling Scope 2007 25 Coffee and design [喝咖啡，逛设计] Travelling Scope 2007 26 First group tours to Taiwan: Policies and rules [首 Travelling Scope 2008 发团告诉你：赴台旅游细则]

27 Kenting: All-season heaven [中国台湾垦丁：一年 Travelling Scope 2009 四季皆宜的 4S 天堂] 28 Enjoying cuisines in Taipei [到台北的后花园吃飨 Travelling Scope 2009 宴] 29 Cool journey in Taipei [台北最酷旅行] Travelling Scope 2009 30 Taiwanese cuisine [台湾料理，味味到位] National Geographic 2006 Traveler 31 Hot springs of Villa 32 [Villa32 的美人常泡汤] National Geographic 2006 Traveler 32 Taipei [台北] National Geographic 2006 Traveler 33 Unique Taipei snacks [台北小吃大不同] National Geographic 2007 Traveler 34 Secrets of loving Taipei [寻找爱上台北的理由] National Geographic 2008 Traveler 35 The Lalu hotel, Taiwan [台湾涵碧楼大饭店] National Geographic 2008 Traveler 36 Cape No. 7 [海角七号] National Geographic 2008 Traveler 37 Local flavours of Taiwan [乡土台湾] National Geographic 2009 Traveler 38 Da’an Road: A fashion district [台北：大安路 - 时 Traveler + Leisure 2006 尚飞地] 39 Immersed in Taipei [沉迷台北] Traveler + Leisure 2006 40 Hanging around Taipei [晃游台北] Traveler + Leisure 2006 41 Yoga in Taiwan [限制级瑜伽] Traveler + Leisure 2006 42 Omni Hotel Taipei [台北：最温柔与最锐利的 Traveler + Leisure 2007 Omni] 43 Gourmets in Eastern Taipei [问美食何处，遥指台 Traveler + Leisure 2008 北东] 44 Luxury hot springs in Taiwan [台湾精致汤屋] Traveler + Leisure 2008 45 Summer vacations on Northern coast of Taiwan [台 Traveler + Leisure 2008 湾北海岸夏日闲情] 46 Cafés in alleys of Taipei [台北小巷咖啡香] Traveler + Leisure 2009 47 Bookstores in Taipei [闲来翻书：在台北公馆区主 Traveler + Leisure 2009 题书店里寻找慢活生趣] 48 Celebrating Chinese New Year in Taiwan [年味台 Voyage 2007 湾] 49 Holidays and festivals in Taiwan [台湾节庆，烈火 Voyage 2007 浓情] 50 Celebrating CAMPO (cinema, arts, music, people, Voyage 2008 and originals) [一个台湾 CAMPO 的生活狂欢节] 51 Shopping in Taiwan [走，台湾“淘宝”去] Voyage 2008 52 Exploring Taiwan small towns based on movies [台 Voyage 2008 湾小镇，电影带路]

53 Aboriginals in Taiwan [原住台湾] Voyage 2009 54 Springtime in Yangmingshan [阳明山：赏花素 Voyage 2009 食，迎春盛事] 55 Having fun in Taipei [台北好好玩：一条人文风情 Voyage 2009 的绿荫大道，中山北路走九遍] 56 Private itineraries to Taiwan from Mr. Su [舒国治 Voyage 2009 的台湾私家旅行地图] Note: Only Chinese titles are available in the magazines. The English titles are the authors’ own translations.